It is well settled that such opioids as morphine can be very effective in the treatment of chronic pain. The trouble comes with another prominent feature of this class of drugs: the likelihood of addiction. This has led to a long search for an opioid that does not addict those persons taking it. One such drug may be Buprenorphine. This is an opioid, but it is also a partial opiate agonist. This means that Buprenorphine can stimulate the opiate receptors without providing actual opiates. It is a chemical slight of hand for the nervous system. If this works, it would eliminate, or at least reduce, the risk of addiction. This would mean that a patient could stay on opioids for as long as necessary without his or her body developing all the negative affects of addiction. Buprenorphine is still undergoing testing. The most recent results look good. It might be a long time before this class of drug is available. The FDA could make never allow it to be sold for this reason. But bear in mind that doctors can prescribe medications for uses other than what the FDA has approved the medications for. You might want to ask your doctor about this.
Opioid Treatment Without Addiction?
Posted by
